President Obama celebrates St. Patrick's Day the Syracuse way

Carolyn Kaster/The Associated PressPresident Barack Obama talks with staff behind the bar as he drinks a Guinness with his ancestral cousin from Moneygall, Ireland, Henry Healy, second from left, and the owner of the pub in Moneygall, Ollie Hayes, left, at The Dubliner Restaurant and Pub and Restaurant on St. Patrick's Day. The Dubliner is owned by Syracuse native Danny Coleman.

Washington -- President Barack Obama could not visit Coleman’s Authentic Irish Pub in Syracuse for St. Patrick’s Day, so he chose the next best thing -- the Irish pub with Syracuse roots in Washington, D.C.

Obama made a surprise visit Saturday afternoon to The Dubliner, a landmark Capitol Hill pub owned by Danny Coleman, the Syracuse native whose father opened Coleman’s on Tipperary Hill in 1933.

Danny Coleman told reporters he received only five minutes notice before Obama’s arrival to cheering patrons on the Dubliner’s sidewalk terrace at about 1 p.m. Saturday.

Obama was accompanied by Henry Healy, an ancestral cousin from Moneygall, Ireland, and Ollie Hayes, the owner of a pub the president visited in Moneygall.

A pool reporter who accompanied the president said he drank a pint of Guinness with his guests, while wearing a moss-green jacket that read, “National Parks, America’s Best Idea.” The crowd, aware of the famous visitor, broke into chants of “Four more years” and “U.S.A.! U.S.A!”

At one point, Obama posed for photos with Danny Cooper Coleman, the 21-month-old grandson of Danny Coleman. The president also wore a “VIP Guest” badge adorned with a photo of the grandson.

Carolyn Kaster/APBarack Obama holds Danny Cooper Coleman, 21 months, as he celebrates St. Patrick's Day at The Dubliner Restaurant and Pub.

The senior Danny Coleman is the brother of Peter Coleman, who owns the landmark Syracuse pub started by their father, Peter A. Coleman, an Irish immigrant. Asked if Obama enjoyed his Guinness, Danny Coleman told a reporter, “He finished it.”

In addition to serving as a Capitol Hill landmark pub, The Dubliner is a home away from home for Central New York natives who work in the U.S. Capitol or nearby office buildings.

Former U.S. Rep. James Walsh, a Tipperary Hill native, was a regular visitor to The Dubliner during his 20 years in office. Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle, R-Onondaga Hill, who now represents the Syracuse area district, hosted a celebration party at The Dubliner after she was sworn into office in January 2011.

The Dubliner's sudden fame was apparently enough to crash its website Saturday afternoon. Visitors to the pub's website were told that it was unavailable because it had exceeded limits on its bandwith.
Contact Washington correspondent Mark Weiner at mweiner@syracuse.com of 571-970-3751.